The following questions have been received from our readers, in response to the Jeff Thomas article, “The Sheering of the Sheeple”. These particular questions have been selected for response, as they reflect concerns that are common to many of our readers.

If the sheep are to be sheared, they must first be penned in so that they cannot escape. In the US, several states have either passed laws or are in the process of drafting laws to record the sales of precious metals.

For many observers, the present situation should be well beyond the point of the raised eyebrow. It should be glaringly apparent that the amount of gold presently claimed to be in storage in the world’s banks is (to a greater or lesser extent) overstated.

Like a handful of others a decade ago, I believed that the damage that governments were doing to their economies at that time would end in disaster. I also believed that one biproduct of these actions would be a dramatic rise in the price of precious metals.

Fitzroy Drkavic comes from an Austro-Hungarian family that has lived through some of the worst the world has to offer. Now, he sees some of the same factors that caused so much hardship for his relatives emerging in his new homeland of Canada - and has decided to do something about it.

While using gold as collateral for a loan might be uncommon, it is certainly not impossible... especially when it comes from governments who basically consider the yellow metal a relic of more barbaric times. Well, in the strange world we live in, this might not be so far off the mark, as Jeff Thomas explains.

Most of our readers are familiar with the gold Maple Leaf, Eagle, Buffalo and Krugerrand. Along with the Nugget/Roo and to a certain degree, the Panda, such coins are widely recognized around the world as a good way to hold physical metal. But there is also another coin that belongs to this group and in fact (as a Swiss contact confirmed recently), it carries one of the lowest premiums of the internationally recognized one-ounce variety: the Austrian Philharmonic.

To say that holding some gold or silver in physical form is a good idea would be somewhat of an understatement. Most of our readers will appreciate that the metals were used as money long before abstract fiat currencies took that place. And, it's increasingly likely that at some point in the relatively near future, gold and silver may take their rightful place once more as everyday instruments of trade rather than simply a speculation.

Some of your friends, family and associates will never buy gold. Others want you to tell them what to do and exactly when to buy. In one sense, advice applied to those marauders of the picnic basket apply just as readily here: Don't feed 'em. If you do, prepare for potential consequences, as Jeff Thomas explains in today's feature.

International Man receives many comments from readers, both by email and in the comments area of an article. As one might expect, some support the argument made in the piece and other (sometimes vehemently) disagree. This is particularly true with one of our most consistent authors, Jeff Thomas. Today, Jeff addresses some of the notes received on past articles...

It might come as no surprise that a great cross-section of our members hold precious metals as a hedge against inflation, and as part of their personal asset protection strategy. But, at the same time, gold and silver have many uses other than just money - from the serious to the frivolous...

Over the past two weeks, we've been speaking with Frank Suess, CEO of the Swiss-based wealth planning and management firm, BFI Capital, as well as the leader of the increasingly popular gold storage program Global Gold. Let's continue...

Today, we're going to continue the interview we started last week with Frank Suess, CEO of BFI Capital, Swiss-based wealth planning and management service, as well as the leader of the increasingly popular gold storage program Global Gold. In this interview, exclusive to International Man, Frank will share details of the company's services including Global Gold, as well as a wealth of knowledge over decades of experience in the industry. Let's continue...

Over the years, I have encountered many people who have considered any investment in gold to be foolhardy in concept. Recently though, I have been finding that more and more of them are beginning to turn around.

There has been much talk about the coming collapse of the US economy, but every effort to pick a date when such an event will happen has so far been wrong. But even though the timing of many predictions is off, the key message to remember is that they DO eventually happen. For this reason, it’s of great importance that we prepare ourselves as soon as possible, both economically and (if we are located in an exposed country) by creating a back door for ourselves and our families. Creating a back door can be a slow process and those who haven't yet begun would be well-advised to start now. After all, you can only pull so many dead rabbits from a hat…

The high rate of inflation most of us believe is waiting not too far down the road will be an earthquake for investment markets. The likely winners (gold, silver, precious metals stocks) and the likely losers (long-term bonds and most stocks) aren’t too hard to identify. But separating the sheep from the goats is only one element for financial success in an environment of rapidly rising consumer prices.

Will the US government confiscate the gold held by its citizenry at some point, as they did in 1933? Will other countries, particularly the EU countries, follow suit? This subject is a particularly thorny one.

At its core, International Man is designed to be a community of like-minded people who come together and converse on all topics related to the internationalization process. One member is Steve Abramowicz, a Seattle-based wealth advisor to high net worth individuals across the United States. He has also internationalized himself and his family to a great degree.

If everything you own is held in your own name in your own country, then you are not merely exposed, you are vulnerable absolutely, to whatever decisions the government might make about how you should behave and who gets the wealth you've earned.